1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to containers and, more particularly, to disposable food containers having a removable cover.
2. Description of the Related Art
The prior art includes many disposable single-service food containers adapted to permit food to be eaten directly from the container. Furthermore, these containers are often used to reheat leftover food servings in a microwave oven or the like. They generally include a cover portion and a tray portion joined at a common edge by a hinge. Tray and cover are typically foamed plastic; for example, expanded polystyrene. The tray portion of the container is generally deeper than the cover portion to provide adequate volume for retaining food and fluids.
Such a food container is often used to keep food warm prior to consumption or to aid in the reheating of leftover servings. When a person is ready to eat food stored in the container, she simply folds the cover portion back along the hinge at the side where the cover and tray portions meet. When the container has thus been opened and she intends to eat or otherwise dispose of all the contents, the hinged cover portion is no longer necessary and in the way, particularly when space for eating is limited. Moreover, if the food container is being used to serve food to more than one person, the hinged cover portion is generally an encumbrance and an obstruction when the container is being passed.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,937,389, issued Feb. 10, 1976 to Wind discloses a perforated hinge between a cover and a tray portion of a disposable food container. The perforation is provided to make the hinge more flexible, but is not adapted to accommodate removal of the cover from the tray.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,915,214, issued Oct. 5, 1956 to Frankel discloses a line of perforation on each leg of a V-shaped portion connecting a cover and a tray of a disposable food container. A rounded hinge forms the apex of the V-shaped portion. By grasping the V-shaped portion adjacent to the hinge when the container is in a closed position, a user can remove a tab including the hinge by tearing along the aligned lines of perforation, thereby separating the cover and the tray. This arrangement results in added waste, i.e., the tab; and is more difficult to use because the user must tear two lines of perforation, i.e., a line of perforation in each leg of the V-shaped portion.